Wednesday, November 17th, InitiativeTO - A citywide initiative of social connection; promoting entrepreneurship, enterprise and social cause to aspiring entrepreneurs on the challenges they may face of being an entrepreneur by entrepreneurs themselves. The effort consists of lead discussions, engaging workshops and local business tours.

InitiativeTO is in part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, hosted and managed by Cg6 Inc; a lifestyle media relations agency socially focused to promote entrepreneurship to creatives and aspiring markets through socially engaging programs, partnerships and placement.

InitiativeTO is a first time 12-hour event consisting of more than 17 entrepreneurs and industry professionals sharing personal stories of challenges they have faced in their career path, 6 seriously fun; down-to-earth life experiencing workshops and up-to 25 businesses taking part in industry tour spawned by venues of social connection ranging from Etobicoke, Junction, Dear Park District, Riverdale and Scarborough.

Promoting entrepreneurship, enterprise and social cause; InitiativeTO engages and educates aspiring entrepreneurs the challenges they may face in running their own businesses by like-minded industry professionals. This story telling 12-hour event consists of lead discussions, engaging workshops and local business tours.Registration is required, www.cg6.com connect with tm.mahdi@cg6.com

OnContact with an Entrepreneur educates and promotes to young professionals the different faces of entrepreneurship. 16 industry-experienced entrepreneurs will engage YOU, the audience, with informative answers in an open mike format.YOU will have the opportunity to witness first-hand, the runnings of a business as an entrepreneur. The hardships and perks, the highs and the lows - all provided from real view points of our speakers.Registration is required, www.cg6.com connect with mimi.lee@cg6.com

This year's Conference of the IBM Canada Centres for Advanced Studies (CAS) on Collaborative Research CASCON 2010 is special as it celebrates two decades of research and innovation in computer science and software engineering and its growth into a world class academic and research conference. CASCON 2010 brings over 1300 researchers and practitioners from academia, industry, and government together for presenting original work, exchanging new ideas, sharing results and experiences, and networking.

CASCON 2010"Smarter Technology for a Smarter Planet"The 20th Annual International Conferencehosted by the Centre for Advanced Studies Research, IBM Canada Software Laboratoryin partnership with National Research Council Canada

Please check a day-by-day schedule with dozens of workshops, keynote presentations, panel sessions, technical paper sessions, technology showcase on the latest research ideas and results on the industry, speakers by day and Twenty Years of Impact and Women in Technology panels: http://www-927.ibm.com/ibm/cas/cascon/

ROOM 104 B: Seminar: Leveraging Social Media: to find new customers, talent, or build your brand. Some topics include: Facebook Marketing Bootcamp, Using Social Media to Find the Top 10% of Talent in the Workforce, Why Your Business Needs a Community Manager, and How to Make a Haystack Full of Needles.

Having your own personal website reflects that you are both professional and serious about your profession or your services. If you have your own domain name then you can start using your own email address based on that domain name e.g. name@yourdomainname.com. Using an email address under your domain provides you with a permanent email address independent of Internet Service Provider (ISP). If you are using an email address assigned by your ISP, such as name@rogers.com or name@sympatico.ca then think what will happen when you terminate the service! But you don’t have to worry about canceling or changing your ISP service if you are using the email address based on your own domain.

In our digital world, if you are self- employed, an entrepreneur or an industry professional without a website, then you are missing out a key to your successful branding using the Internet as a media.

Why many people do not have their own website?The Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) recently conducted a sample poll asking why many people do not have their own website. Top reasons were:1. They couldn’t afford it because they felt it was too expensive.2. They do not have the technical skills/knowledge.3. They do not want to project a non-professional image.4. They do not understand how to make search engines friendly website.

SIP OffersWe have addressed these issues by putting together an inexpensive package for our members (free membership is provided, if you are not a member), which will meet initial requirements of most of the entrepreneurs.

This proposal outlines the details of what is provided and what you should know, cost and how to go about signing up for this offer.

What is Provided in this Package?1. Registration of a domain name of your choice.2. A professional three-page website: Home page, Profile page, Contact page3. One primary email address under your own domain address.4. Basic Usability & Assessment of your website including copy editing.5. Assistance in drafting of website's title, description and keywords. These will make your website search engine and user friendly.6. Hosting of the Website and email services.7. Annual Updates.

CostAnnual fee of $350* $350 comprises of $50 hosting, $150 for website design and development and $150 for professional assessment.The Associate membership is free.You can apply for optional Professional Membership at a reduced admin fee of $150 (regular admin fee for Professional membership is $200).

After receiving the payment we will provide you:• List of requirements• How to prepare for the content to create the website.• How to select the domain name and email address under the domain name.• Guidelines for creating title, description and key words for your website.

The Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) is a not-for-profit, membership based organization representing the interest of Internet professionals. Our mission is to uphold professional standards of internet professionals. Since 1977, SIP has spearheaded many initiatives and programs, such as seminars, workshops, Internet job board, newsletters and a members' directory.

As part of our 13th anniversary we are offering free membership to all attendees of SES Conference & Show as Associate Member, sign-up at: www.sipgroup.org

About SassafrazSassafraz is the heart of the posh Yorkville area of Toronto, having reopened after a massive fire destroyed most of the building. The new Sassafraz feature Canadian dishes based in French cuisine, a 20-foot indoor vertical garden and a new rooftop patio will bring seating capacity to 350. Described as the centre of where all the excitement happens, the celebrity destination.

About SummerliciousWith 150 restaurants across Toronto offering three-course prix fixe menus from July 9 to 25, Summerlicious offers restaurant lovers an opportunity to satisfy their appetites for delicious food and perhaps discover a new favourite restaurant in the process.

If you are in any type of business/profession then you must have published a newsletter, website/blog, an article, email or even a book, so you are a publisher and a writer. Join us to explore the power of e-publishing and e-Books (from Codex books to smart books).

As part of our 13th Anniversary Celebrations, The Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) is hosting a panel discussion:

EVENT SPONSORPay for your Internet purchases directly from your bank account (instead of your credit card) through UseMyServices.An established corporate member of SIP now operating in many countries & currencies.Inquire about SIP Affinity Program with UseMyServices for e-Commerce Merchants. http://www.usemyservices.com

Robert K. Logan, Chief Scientist - sLab at OCAD, Prof. Emeritus - Physics - U. of Toronto. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Origins Institute, McMaster University and also at the Institute of Biocomplexity and Informatics, University of Calgary. He collaborated and published with Marshall McLuhan. He is also an author or editor of 12 books and many articles in refereed journals.

He has been active in politics since 1974. Among his many activities he served as an advisor to PM Pierre Eliot Trudeau, policy chair of the Ontario wing of the federal Liberal Party and an advisor to various federal cabinet ministers.http://www.physics.utoronto.ca/Members/logan/

His Talk: focus on living e-books project at OCAD. The sBook or SmartBook: The Convergence of the Codex Book and the e-Book. Use electronic gadgets and computer to tag, collaborate and making notes while reading "ink on paper "books.Blaise Alleyne, a graduate from the University of Toronto in computer science, English and philosophy-lives at the intersection of culture and technology. As a contributor to the Techdirt blog, he has written about the challenges traditional media companies face in adapting to a digital environment, and about the effects of copyright on culture. Blaise works as a web developer, a songwriter and musician.http://blaise.ca/

His Talk: Digital technology has a disruptive effect on traditional content industries in many ways, but this is especially true when it comes to copyright and the law. Blaise Alleyne will analyze the legal issues affecting authors, publishers and readers through a survey of recent conflicts and emerging patterns in order to suggest what this might mean for the future of business, innovation and art in the area of electronic publishing.

Anita Windisman, MBA, President of One of a Kind Publishing Inc., a company specializing in the personalization of content in the form of books and eBooks. She has worked with companies such as Levi Strauss, Toronto Hydro, Royal LePage, and Worlcolor (formerly Quebecor World) in eBusiness strategy development, online content delivery and social media. She is author of the soon to be published book "Business Lessons I Learned from Barbie". http://blogs.OneofaKindPublishing.com

Her Talk: With the rise of electronic content distribution, the publishing industry is changing dramatically. The lines between the traditional roles of author, publisher, distributor and retailer have blurred. As a result, new publishing models have emerged. In her talk, Anita Windisman will provide an overview of the market forces and trends shaping the industry with a view to identifying where future opportunities lie.

Nate Hendley, is a Toronto-based writer and author. He writes extensively for magazines and has just taken a job as content manager of a political website/blog. Hendley has published several non-fiction books, primarily in the biographical and true-crime genres. His website is located at www.natehendley.com.

His Talk: Five years ago, Hendley wrote an article called "Seeing Through the e-Book Threat" for Canadian Printer magazine, that largely dismissed the electronic book format. His talk, entitled "Returning to the Scene of the Crime" will re-examine the e-book vs traditional print format book and offer an objective look at the pro's and con's of electronic book publishing from an author's perspective.

A premier Symposium for senior level Enterprise Architecture of all stripes to share knowledge, experiences, strategies and best practices covering the Spectrum from Strategy through to Execution. Seize this excellent opportunity to learn how to apply the latest EA Tools and Techniques to help your organization achieve the ultimate goal of successful initiatives, while earning up to 14 PDU's!

Join our dedicated team of volunteers to help us staff the booth (2 hours) and a Panel Discussion on e-Publishing (one hour in the evening). Tickets to the Show & key notes and SIP membership will be provided.

Interested? Join us for the IT 360 Show & Panel discussion planning meeting on March 12 at 5:30 pm, help raise your profile and give back to the community, please RSVP and we will send you the detail of this meeting

Network with professionals, make some new friends, have some fun mingling and learning from industry experts, simply by helping us celebrate the 13th Anniversary of SIP!

SIPpost February 23, 2010: Future of e-Publishing & e-Reading

Future of e-Publishing & e-Reading

As part of our 13th Anniversary Celebrations, The Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) is hosting a panel discussion at the Metro Convention Centre ( South Building, Room 715A ) on April 7 at 5:30 pm.

The digital publishing is changing the model for printing, distributing and selling of a book and on its way by passing many middle businesses. The book is no longer a physical entity and an e-author can publish the book him or herself, and sells directly to the consumers. The process has also created new vistas - eBook readers, self-publishing houses, e-authors, e-books.

If you know of any speaker on the subject or any organization to sponsor the event then please let us know.

Early Bird Registration and No Charge SIP Membership Offer:You pay only $10 now ($25 at the door), RSVP from meetup.com as part of our social media networking site (take advantage of posting your profile).

Over 40 people enjoyed a seven-course meal along with the opportunity to win some wonderful door prizes.

A stimulating and fun Speakers’ Contest made the evening even more entertaining with all of the participants getting public acknowledgment for their speaking endeavors and talents.

But, this heartwarming event would not have happened without the hardworking efforts of the great volunteers.

We were very pleased with the outcome but don’t just take our word for it – read some of the heartwarming comments given below:

"… Max, I just want to say from the bottom of my heart thank you so much for your kindness and understanding. My friend Deka and I enjoyed the wonderful event that you put together. I personally think that you are an extraordinary person and it was pleasure to meet you…" Maryan

"… Thank you for having us last night, we met some great people. Thank you for making the evening so successful …" Mimi Lee, Director of Operations, Cg6 Inc.

"… What a pleasure it was to attend last night's event - thank you so much for a lovely and profitable meeting…" Kim Taylor-Galway, Perfect 10 Communication

"... This was a very impressive, passionate and committed group …" Attila Lendvai, The Atlas Project

"... We had a terrific seven-course dinner and an opportunity to speak and to top it all we all had FUN … giving us some memorable moments.…"D. A. (Di) Wright, author, teacher and a career coach

We were glad to see the mingling, exchanging of business cards and engaged discussions during the dinner and the dedicated Networking session, a networking game ensured that each one met more than seven people.Many thanks to the wonderful generosity of those who donate prizes and bought raffle tickets.To rekindle these moments, take a peek at the photo gallery at:http://sipgroup.org/events/dinner2009/Once again, a really big thank you to all who made the event so successful, such as some of the following:

Audio-Video-Graphics: Russell for designing the professional looking name badges and posters, looking after audio-video logistics.

Volunteers: Di, Alicia, Linda, Fari, and Lori for all of their great registration efforts

Anna and Ray who hustled around selling raffle tickets (we raised $260 for a good cause)